So, we started a five week trip across Europe on the 3rd of July. The push off point being Paris. Not a lot to say about Paris. Busy, busy, busy, just as you would expect for a tourist town. Ricks book very helpful there, particularly taking the underground entrance to the Louvre. One thing that we didn't see mentioned in the book was a TI kiosk outside Notre Dame that sold tickets at cost to the Louvre and other museums. It doesnt take cash so if you use it, we did, just be prepared for that. With tickets in hand, 10 min walk to the Louvre and we were inside enjoying the sights. From there, train ride to Beaune. Quaint town, a place we will visit again but with better planning. The bus mentioned in the book doesn't run on Sunday and all three car rental companies closed. Bikes are a good option if it isn't storming. We stayed at the Hotel de France. Nice place as mentioned in the book, I would clarify in that not only is located "near" the train station, it shares the same parking lot. Now don't let that scare you, our room faced the station and didn't hear the trains at all. For our early morning arrival, it was great to drop out bags right away and head into town until check in. Don't expect that on Monday as the reception doesn't open until late afternoon on Mondays. If you book wine tour, more tour, less wine. It is a must to be there on a Saturday for the market. A great break from the hustle and bustle of Paris and before we go to Rome. That post to follow
Posted by
Denver, CO
796 posts
Kevin - it sounds like your trip is off to a great start! Looking forward to your next posts!
Posted by
OP
Beaufort, SC, Usa
2 posts
Getting to Rome was relatively simple, although a long day of travel from Beaune. It started at 0800 in the morning with a 1.5 hr or so train ride to Lyon, 30 minutes to change trains and 2.5 hr or so into Geneva. A great ride to see the country side and we had 5 hours to wander around Geneva. We even managed to take a 1.5 hr cruise on the lake. Geneva to Milan, From there an overnight train to Rome. It was nice to have a sleeper but I wasn't impressed. We had our private room and it was HOT! That aside, I think what really disappointed me was the type of train. I was expecting a sleek looking, clean on the outside train but instead we got a box car with graffiti and pulled by the little engine that could. Had we made reservations sooner we may have been able to go direct from Lyon. It wouldn't have been 24 hrs of travel. We arrived in Rome at the Tributini station at 0730, just as Rome was coming alive. We managed to squeeze on the metro for a short ride to the Cavour stop then off on foot to find our hotel. We chose to stay at the Hotel Smeraldo. It wasn't too bad to find, although the map in the book isn't very detailed we had made it to the hotel by 0900 and that included stopping for breakfast. So here we are in Rome for seven days. We chose to embrace the Italian way of life and enjoy the siesta to its finest each and every day! Day one, our arrival we dropped our bags and went on the "Heart of Rome" walk. The market in Campo di fiori is a must see, fresh fruit cups for 2 euro as well as an eclectic mix of mushroom sellers and olive oil hurlers. A short stroll up the road and we arrived at the Pantheon. Lucky us it was open. I'm sure it means more if you are a history nut but if not and you come to see it and it is closed, enjoy a drink outside and rest assured you didn't miss much. We stumbled upon the coffe shop mentioned in the book and tried the frozen treat, it wasn't bad.